I’m a Caterpillar

I do a magic trick

I change into a butterfly or a moth

In a matter of weeks after I hatch from my egg as a caterpillar.



Actually it’s our nature

When my mother butterfly or moth lays her eggs she deposits them on leaves and plants and the bark of trees where we are protected and provided our food source.



We are extremely hungry caterpillars so we eat the leaves, plants and bark our mother butterflies and moths placed our eggs on so we can grow into magnificent butterflies and moths.



Sadly we never meet our mother or our family.



We are solitary as caterpillars and as butterflies and moths.



By the time we hatch our mother butterfly or moth is near her time where she leaves the earth to go to insect heaven.



It’s a sad reality but butterflies and moths only live for a month if lucky but some can live for a few months and are very busy in that time because the female needs to find a mate so she can continue the species.



As caterpillars we grow into butterflies and moths in four stages from egg to caterpillar to butterfly or moth through a metamorphosis and are protected by an exterior covering through our chrysalis stage where we evolve into the beautiful butterfly or moth nature intended us to be.



It’s very interesting when you study moths, butterflies and caterpillars.



If you studied each you would find that moths have 160,000 species, butterflies have 18,000 species and caterpillars also have 160,000 species.



Butterflies evolved from moths and moths can be traced back 200 million years ago which defies imagination and gives us perspective as to their existence and how they evolved and survived despite their short life expectancies.



Caterpillars look like worms but they’re the larvae stage pre-butterfly or pre-moth and are considered insects before they become winged insects as butterflies and moths like their parents that they never meet.



Caterpillars are considered pests because of their voracious appetite and their dependence on leaves, plants and trees.



Caterpillars are mysterious just as butterflies and moths are and children love to see the change from caterpillar to butterfly and moth.



As a child you most likely had your parents read you at night before bedtime the children’s book “The very hungry caterpillar” which tells the story of these magnificent creatures and how they change into a beautiful butterfly or moth.



Butterflies, caterpillars and moths are also featured in nature films and documentaries and you can learn about all three at museums and libraries.



A movie that features several insects including ants and a caterpillar named Heimlich and a moth named Gypsy is “A bugs life” which centers around ants and their fight for preserving their food supply against grasshoppers with the help of their insect friends.



It’s a fascinating world when you explore insects and learn about the amazing lives of caterpillars, butterflies and moths.



If you see a little caterpillar on a tree please allow me to eat and develop as I must so I can change into a beautiful butterfly or moth.



I’m very hungry and must eat because



I’m a caterpillar